bytheway
male, 62 |
philosopher
Zeist / Netherlands
member since 29.06.2007
|
Paul Dukas >>>>>>
______________________________________
My weekly philosophical blog:
On quality
The French musician Paul Dukas (1865-1935) was not only a talented composer, but also a critic, scholar and teacher, who wrote more than 400 articles. When I listened to the radio programme “Composer of the week” on the Dutch Radio 4, which presented the life and music of Dukas, I heard the following quotation from an article that he had written in the 1920s (the quote was in Dutch, which I have translated here into English):
“Every day the blasé public is surrounded by the sound of telephones and cars that transport them at top speed from one art manifestation to another. They hog the conversation but they don’t want to waste a minute. When this operation has been finished and has already been forgotten again, they do not ventilate an impression but an opinion; especially one that is elegant and that has been provided with a superior smile for the occasion in the midst of all these tortures.”
Dukas went on with some remarks in which he wondered whether music (and art in general) has to be adapted to this rising superficiality and whether society still has a need for a kind of art that follows its own fundamental principles.
When I heard this quotation, I wondered whether much has changed since Dukas wrote these words ninety years ago. Even more, hasn’t the situation become more marked in these days of the Internet, Facebook, Twitter and so on, where everyone has the opportunity and is in the position to express an opinion on who knows what – not only on art – on any moment and to the whole world? Or is this quote simply the thought of a frustrated critic who is himself blasé by thinking that there is some kind of “high culture” that is not reserved for everybody and that has to be admired with awe? For isn’t such a criticism as passed by Dukas of all times? I think it’s double: The quote contains the unreal feeling of a paradise lost but isn’t it so that we need standards of quality and aren’t they always threatened by superficiality and laziness, not only in art but everywhere in life? But what then is quality and who tells us what it is?
_______________________________________
If possible, every Monday I publish here a new blog with a picture.
Old blogs on: philosophybytheway.blogspot.com
More photos on: flickr.com/photos/photographybytheway
_______________________________________
A few quotations:
"No man shall be interfered with on account of his religion, and any one is to be allowed to go over to any religion he pleases" (Akbar, Indian Moghul Emperor, Muslim,1542-1605)
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"Se battre pour le prestige, pour le honneur, c'est se battre littéralement pour rien" (Fighting for prestige, for honour, is litteraly fighting for nothing) (René Girard)
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
“We feel that even if all possible scientific questions have been answered, our problems of life have still not been touched at all.” (Ludwig Wittgenstein)
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
“We should not take the absence of the word to be equivalent to the absence of thought” (Martha C. Nussbaum)
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
“Every society as a whole learns that happiness cannot be equated with development” (Michel de Certeau)
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"C'est une dangereuse invention que celle des gehenes, et semble que ce soit plustost un essay de patience que de vérité."
“The putting men to the rack is a dangerous invention, and seems to be rather a trial of patience than of truth."
Montaigne on torture.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
“War is always more popular with those who don’t experience it” (Mark Kurlansky)
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
“If you start a man killing, you cannot turn him off like a machine” (Guy Chapman)
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"The more violence, the less revolution" (Bart de Ligt, 1883-1938)
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
“Tuer un homme, ce n’est pas défendre une doctrine, c’est tuer un homme” (Castellio, 1515-1563)
"Killing a man is not defending a doctrine, it is killing a man".
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Instead of "Cogito ergo sum" - "I think, therefore I am" (Descartes) I would rather say "Sum ergo cogito" - "I am, therefore I think".
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"Parce que c'etait lui, parce que c'etait moi" (Because it was he, because it was I)
Montaigne's definition of friendship
______________________________________
About me:
Reading, writing, running/cycling, philosophy (not only this blog), history, languages, photography (I cannot go out without a camera !)
Everybody is welcome !
English
Deutsch
Francais
Espanol
Russkiy
sukoshi Nihongo hanasemasu
Frysk
en natuurlijk Nederlands |
|
 |
